Pie machine



D; vv. swarm @me E@ 3.923.

PIE MACHINE' 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 24, 1920 .fiilllk J5 June i9, 3923.

D. vx/.SMITH PIE MACHINE 1920 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filled Jan. 24,

Patented June 19, 1923.

il l T E DENNIS W. SMITH, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 COLBORNE MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' rin MACHINE.

Application sled January 24., 1920. serial No. 353,829.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I DENNIS W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Wilmette, county of Cook, and State of flllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pie Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pie-making machines.

The main objects of the invention are to provide improved means for crimping the perimetral edges of pie crust and trimming or cutting off the excess dough; to provide;

improved means of this kind comprising parts which are capable of being operated separately or substantially in unison with each other for performing these two operations; to provide improved mechanism for actuating said means whereby when connected with a pie-maling machine the actuation of said means will be in substantial synchronism with the conveying mechanism of such a machine.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of pie crust shaping means constructed in accordance with this invention, the same being shown in combination with a portion of the conveying mechanism of a .pie-making machine.

Fig. r2 is a side elevation, partly sectional, of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan of thesame.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of the pie crust crimping and trimming means.

F ig, 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the corrugated face of the crimping element.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pie showing the manner in which the edges of the pie crust have been crimped and trimmed.

A pie crust crimping and trimming means embodying this invention involves the use of a pair of annular elements 1 and 2 concentrically arranged'npon the lower end of a member 3 which is actuated so as to coact with the perimeter of a pie plate resting upon a support 4. This means is supported upon a standard 6 secured to the frame 7 of a pie-making machine and actuated by the mechanism more fully hereinafter described. The arrangement ofthe various parts has been designed particularly for use with a pie-making machine of the general type illustrated in Colborne Patents Nos. 821,784,

dared May 29, 1906, and 847,649, l dated. March 19, 1907, wherein a plurality of pie plate supports 5 are mounted upon a continuously moving link chain conveyer 8.

In the specific embodiment herein shown, the crimping element 1 is in theform of a ring secured by spider arms 9 to a hub 10 by means of which the element is secured to the member 3. In cross section, said ring is of.

substantially the same thickness as the width of the flange 11 of the pie plate 4, and the under surface of the yring is corrugated fso as to provide radially disposed ridges 12.

substantially axially disposed flange or band secured to the ends of spider arms 13 formed on a hub 14 by which the element is mounted on the memberl 3. The inner face 15 of the element 2 is slightly inclined to the axis of;v

the member 3 with the mean diameter substantialiy equal to the extreme diameter of the pie plate 4. v .n

The member 3 as herein shown is in the form of a shaft secured to a pair of hubs 1G.

and 17 which vare pivotally mounted on the cranks 18 and 19 rotatably supported on the standard 6. Such an arrangement gives a sort of reciprocating movement to the member3, causing it to revolve bodily about sleeve 21 and the hub 14 of the trimmingfil element 2. This spring normally urges the crimping element 1 into its normal position as limited by the abutment of the sleeve 21 against the head 20, and allows arelative movement of the crimpingelementv 1 ande shaft 3 after the corrugated under face of the element has been firmly pressed against the dough on the rim 11 of the pie plate 4. This permits a continued movement of the shaft 3 so as to insure the contact of the inner face 15 of the trimming element 2 with the perimeter of the flange 11 of the pie plate 4.

The particular construction and arrangement of the pie` plate support 5 is of no The trimming element 2 is in the form of a T70 3,0 and 31 of the special importance vexcept that it provides for a rigid support of the flange 11 to insure the proper action of the crimping and trimming elements when they are urged into contact therewith. In the particular embodiment herein shown, the support 5 is,

mounted upon a shaft or post 24 and attached to the link chain conveyer 8 by means of a suitable fitting 25. A platform 26 is arranged below the support 5 upon which falls the excess dough trimmed off from the pie plate L1.

The driving mechanism. for the pie crust crimping and trimming means: comprises a shaft 27. and pairs of beveled gears 28 and 29. The shaft 27 is journaled in bearings standard 6 and a bearing 3,2 on t-he under side of the frame 7. Said shaft has one gea-r of each of the pairs of gears 28 and 29 secured there-to, and the other gears of said pairs are secured. to the shafts 33 and 34 respectively journaled on the standard 6 and keyed to the cranks 18 and 19 respectively. The lower end of the shaft 27 is provided with a sprocket 35 which is connected by ka chain belt to a suit-- Aable driving ele-ment on the rpie-making machine.

rlfhe size of the cranks 18 and 19, the ratio of the pairs of gears 28 and 29 and the arrangement of thesprocket 35 and its connectionv to the pie-making machine are such that the movement of the pie crust crimping and trimming means substantially synchronizes with the movement of the conveyer 8, so that the crimping element 1 and. trimming element 2 approach, coact with, and recede from the pie plate 4 as they gradually travel in turn past the standard 6.

The operation of the device herein shown is substantially as follows:

'By means of the pie-making machine more fully described in the aforesaid Colborne patents,l pies are made in the pie plates 4L, which by means of the conveyer 8 are `caused to pass the pie crust crimping andv trimming means. As each pie ap proaches said means, the elements 1 and 2 are moved into position to coact with the fla-nge 11 of the pie plate Ll.. The corrugated `under face of the element liirst comes in contact with the dough and crimps it as shown in Fig. 6. This action occurs before the. inner face 15 of the trimming element 2 engages the edge of thev flange 11. By

virtue of the spring 23 the shaft or member 3 is allowed to continue its movement relative to the crimping element 1 so as to bring the inner face 15 of the trimming element 2 into contact with the perimeter of the pie tin 4 and shear off the excess dough 36 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Having com-` frame, a conveyer continuously movable along saidv frame, pie-plate supports carried by said conveyer, a standard mounted on said frame, a member mounted on said standard and shiftable vertically and horizontally, and a pair of concentrically arranged annular 'elements carried by said member and movable thereby into contact with thedough on pie platesl resting on said supports so that during they travel of said pie plates adjacent to said standard the dough around the perimeter ofthe pie plates is crimped and trimmed.

2. In a pie machine, frame, a conveyer continuously movable along said frame, pie-plate supports carried by said conveyer, a standard `mounted on said frame, a Apair of cranks rotatably mounted kon said standard in vertically spaced relation, a vertically disposed shaft*` pivotally connected to said cranks and bodily revolvable about aa horizontally disposed axis while maintaining a constant vertical position, means carried by said shaft an d shiftab-le into contact with the dough on pie plates resting ony said lsupports during the travel of said pie plate past said standard and adapted to shape the dough around the perimeter 0f the pie plates, and means for synchronizing the movementl of 'said shaft with that of said conveyer, substantially as described. I

Signed at Chicago this 22d day of January DENNIS WV. SMITH..

the combination of a 

